The National institutes of Health's RFA for Clinical and Translational Science Awards has catalyzed the efforts ofacademic medical institutions to remove impediments to the translation of fundamental discoveries into betterhealth for our citizens and rectify shortages within the clinical and translational workforce. This proposal of theClinical and Translational Science Institute of Southeast Wisconsin is tailored to the needs and resources of thebiomedical enterprise in the region and offers a novel and transformative plan to achieve the above mentionedgoals. Building on the long collaborative history among the major academic and healthcare institutions in our area,we have constructed a unique academic-community partnership comprised of the Medical College of Wisconsin,University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Marquette University, Milwaukee School of Engineering, Froedtert Hospital,Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Zablocki VA Medical Center and BloodCenter of Wisconsin, set in the milieu of alarge urban community with remarkable ethnic and social diversity. Our proposal brings together the variousresources of the partner institutions to identify and address the obstacles that impede the conduct of clinical andtranslational research in the region. The transfonning environment of our CTSI focuses on the interdependencyand interrelationship of our research teams and the relationship of the key functions to the rest of the CTSA intheir integrating, enabling and effecting roles. To accomplish this transfonnation, we propose (and have begun to implement during the pre-award years) 1)To develop a distinct 'Academic Home' for the discipline of clinical and translational science - the Clinical andTranslational Science Institute (CTSI) - which transcends intra-and inter-institutional barrier, empowersexperienced leadership to have the authority and resources to promote, facilitate, coordinate and foster thecontinuum of translational research from bench to bedside (Tl), to clinical practices (T2), and to our communities(T3); 2) To increase the number of investigators participating in clinical research through innovative programswithin the CTSI; 3) To develop, align, and coordinate infrastructure across institutions to provide our scientistswith the resources required for Clinical and Translational research; and 4) To engage clinical practices and thecommunity in research h that enhances public health. Our Community Engagement program is an MCW strength.We will build on an existing network of the Healthier Wisconsin Partnership Program (HWPP) and expertise andresources of our partners in medical, biomedical engineering, dentistry, nursing, social sciences and allied healthdisiciplines to implement novel community based (T3) research programs. We believe our CTSA model istransferable to other similarly-sized academic research communities across the country.
Better preventive measures, more accurate diagnostics, and more effective therapies are badly needed toimprove the health of our citizens. This application provides a novel and comprehensive mechanism to addressthese needs through research and education. It creates a borderless, collaborative environment in SE Wisconsinfor biomedical researchers, healthcare providers, educators, citizens, and industry to work together synergisticallyand translate the fundamental discoveries into better health for our citizens.
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